Car retarding apparatus



din 14.954 I JIM/$2 May 17, 1932. A. MEYER CAR RETARDING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 50, 1930 Patented May 17, 1932 3 1,859,102

* UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE f AUGUST .MEYER, 'QF BERLIN-SCHONEBERG, GERMANY can REGARDING-APPARATUS Application filed August so, 1930. Serial No. 478,848.

This invention relates to car retarding form of the inventipn, Figure 2 being a view apparatus of the kind adapted to be located in side elevation of a portion of the appaadjacent to the track rails of a, track over ratus shown in Figure 1. which the vehicle to be retarded travels and V Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2, Figure comprising brake bars or their equivalent 4 being a View similar to Figure 2 but illus- 55 adapted to be automatically brought into trating amodified construction. engagement with the wheels or other por- Figure 5 is a View in side elevation partly tions of the vehicle by electro-magnetic acsectional illustrating the arrangement of the tion, so that retardation of the vehicle is not motor mechanism for raising and lowering 1 only effected by frictional action but also due the brake shoes. 60 to the eddy currents generated by the move- Figure 6 is a View in side elevation of a ment of the wheels or other portions of the portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 5 Vehicle relative to the magnetic flux traversbut illustrating a modified construction, Fig ing the brake bars. ure 7 being a plan view of the end of the con- In apparatus of this character it is evinecting rod shown in Figures 5 and 6. 765 dently of advantage to arrange the brake Figures 8 and 9 are views in side and end bars in such a manner that, when in operative elevation respectively showing. a modified engagement with the wheels of the vehicle form of a portion of the mechanism shown in for the purpose of effecting retardation, the Figure 5. r V r v brake bars will engage with the wheels at a Referring now to the drawings it will be point as high as possible above the rim or seen that the apparatus comprlses a yoke flange of the wheel so as to increase the brak member 1 provided with an energizing coil 7 ing action. This desirable location of the 2 and magnetically connected by means of brake bars is however limited by the necessity laminated core members 3 to the brake bars for avoiding the fouling of the axle boxes, 4. arranged on each side of a track rail 6. 7 brake rigging or other parts of the vehicle by The brake bars 4 are each provided i a the brake bars and it is generally only poslongitudinally extending brake shoe 5. sible to permit the brake bars to project up- 7 .Formed on the inner vertical face of each wards beyond the heads of the track rails to of the brake bars-,4: is a plurality of inclined a small extent. In the case of a locomotive recesses or grooves 7, oneof which is shown so the permissible projection of the brake bars in Figures 2 and3, the recesses 7 being underabove the track rails is considerably less to cut as shown in Figure 3. Each of the reavoid fouling and since it is generally necescesses 7 contains a slider 8 loosely fitting sary in shunting operations, in hump yards therein and secured by means of a bolt 9 to to permit the passage of trains including a the brake shoe 5. As shown in Figure 4 illus- 35 locomotive over the retarding apparatus, artrating a preferred construction, a solid block rangements must be provided for lowering 10 containing the recess 7 'is inserted, into the upwardly projecting portions of retardthe length of the brake bar a thelatter being ing apparatus from their normal positions of laminated construction as indicated in 49 when required. Figuresl and 4. v V

The present invention has for its principal It will be .understood that with the arobject to provide improved lowering' e h- 'rangements above described a' longitudinal anism for this purpose, afurther object being displacement of the brake shoes 5 in one dito provide arrangements for. operating the .rection or the other will cause the brakeshoes 5 lowering mechanism as will be hereinafter 5 to be raised or lowered relative to the brake 1 described. 1 I bars 4 owing to the inclined movement of The invention is illustrated by way. of exthe sliders 8 in the recesses or grooves 7.

ample in the accompanying drawings of One formof mechanism for effecting the which Figure 1 is a transverse sectionalview longitudinal displacement of the brake shoes 50 0f car retarding apparatus embodying one 5 for this purpose isillustratedinFigure5' of mounted upon a rotatable shaft' 17. 'Also= rigidly mounted upon the shaft 17 is an arm 18 which is pivotally connected to'o'ne end of alink rod 19. The opposite end of the rod 19' passes through a relatively large aperture a bracket 20 secured to the brake shoe 5, the vertical sides of the bracket 20 being provid ed with spherical bearingsurfaces 23 engaging with Washers 24 surrounding the rod 19 and held in position by means of nuts 25.

A preferred construction for the connection between the rod 19' and the arm .18 is shown in Figure 7 and comprises a pivot pin 22 traversing the forked end 21 of the rod 19,

the aperture in the arm 18 through which the pivot pin 22 passes being coned at both ends so as to permit a certain amount of universal motion of the pivot pin relative to the arm 18.

It will be understood that in operation the supply of energizing current to the coil 2 of I the retarding apparatus will cause a corresponding magneticflux to traverse the yoke 1, core members 3, brake bars 4 and the brake shoes 5 so as to cause the brake shoes 5 to move towards each other and to engage with the Wheel ofa vehicle travelling along the track rail 6. When the coil 2 is deenergized the brake bars 4 and brake shoes 5 are moved apart by springor other suitable mechanism not shown. g

It will thus be apparent that the brake bars 4 are subject tolimited transverse movement towards and away from one another during operation and the connections above described of the link rod 19 to the'arm 18 and to the bracket 20 are designed to permit this transverse movement of the brake bars 4 and the brake shoes 5 while enabling longitudinal displacement of the brake shoes 5 relative 'to the brake bars 4 to be effected so as to causethe raising or lowering of the brake shoes v r v In Figures 1 and 5 the brake shoes 5 are shown in their raised positons for effecting the braking action as above described. 'When it is required that a locomotive should pass over the retarding apparatus, operating currentis supplied to the motorll insuch a manner as to cause the motor to rotate in a direction serving to movethe nut 14 along the spindle 13 towards thejright. This movementof thenut 14 is transmitted through the link rod 15, thearms116 and 18 andthe link rod 19 to the bracket 20 which accordingly the cost of the apparatus. Although'only certain forms of construetion embodying the inventionhave been de- I moves the brake shoe 5 towards the right relative to the brake bar 4. The brake shoe 5 is thus lowered to an extent suflicient to avoid any danger of the brake shoes 5 being fouled by the locomotive during its passage over the retarding apparatus.

When it is again desired to, raisethe brake shoes 5 into their normal positions, operating current is supplied to the motor 11 so asto cause it to rotate in the reverse direction and thereby move the nut melon the spindle 13 towards the left. The brac et 20 and the brake bars 5 are thus caused to be displaced towards the left and owingto the action of the sliders 8, the brake bars 5 are moved upwards during their longitudinal movement. 1

It will be understood that both the brake shoes 5 are similarly caused to be raised andlowered simultaneously by the action of the for instance suitable arms 18on a common shaft 17.

Figure 6 illustrates a modified connection of the link rod 19 to the bracket 20 in which springs 26 are interposed between the washers 24 and the bearing surfaces 23 for the pur pose of preventing shocks from being transmitted from the brake shoes 5 to the raising and lowering mechanism. Another form of connection for the same purpose is illustrated in Figures 8 and-9 in which a forked arm 161 is mounted upon the shaft 17 and carries a block 29 pivotally mounted on the arm 161 by means of' a pivot pin 28. The link rod 30 connected to the nut 14 passes loosely through the block 30 and is resiliently coupled thereto by means of springs 31 interposed between V the block 29 and a collar 32 secured to the rod 30 and between the block 29 and nuts 31 shoe, the bearing strip 27 being this renew able and being preferably composed of material having a relatively high electrical resist-.

ance such, for instance, as silicon steel.

It will be evident that the invention provides extremely simple and effective means whereby the brake shoes of the retarding ap- 'paratus can be lowered to permit the passage of a locomotive without necessitating the lowering of the brake bars themselves thereby avoiding complication and scribed andillustrated by way of example it'is to be understood that, various modifications may be made therein within thescope he appended claims without exceejding 1 the of the invention. I Having now'described myinventionpwhat greatly reduc- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In car retarding apparatus the combination of a brake bar extending horizontally adjacent to a track rail over which the vehicle to be retarded travels, a brake shoe member extending horizontally to and in contact with a vertical face of said brake bar and a plurality of sliding members secured to said brake shoe member and located in inclined recesses in said vertical face of said brake bar.

2. In car retarding apparatus the combination of a brake bar extending horizontally adjacent to a track rail over'which the vehiole to be retarded travels, a brake shoe member extending horizontally to and in contact with a vertical face of said brake bar, a plurality of sliding members secured to said brake shoe member and located in inclined recesses in said vertical face of said brake bar, and means for effecting movement of said brake shoe member relative to said brake bar in a longitudinal direction.

3. In car retarding apparatus the combination of a brake bar extending horizontally adjacent to a track rail over which the vehicle to be retarded travels, a brake shoe member extending horizontally to and in cont tact with the vertical face of said brake bar, a plurality of sliding members secured to said brake shoe member and located in inclined recesses in the vertical face of said brake bar, a motor, means operated by said motor for effecting a horizontal displacement of said brake shoe member, and a coupling permitting universal motion connecting said displacing means to said brake shoe member.

4:. In car retarding apparatus the combination of a brake bar ext-ending horizontally adjacent to a track rail over which the vehicle to be retarded travels, a brake shoe member extending horizontally to and in contact with a'vertical face of said brake bar, a plurality of sliding members secured to said brake shoe member and located in inclined recesses in said vertical face of said brake bar, a rotatable shaft, an arm carried by said shaft, a link rod connected to said arm, means for resiliently coupling said link rod to said brake shoe member and means for rotating said shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand.

y AUGUST MEYER. 

